FINALLY....Proof that FEEL IS SOUND!

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Jim Kobylinski

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I have been trying to explain to people that for the MOST PART (not all) "feel" in the golfswing when comparing putters, drivers, balls, etc is all related to what sound the equiptment emits and how your brain interprets that sound into some kind of feel.

Well guess what?

They just had a Nike Designer on The Golf Channel pimping some new products and they were talking about their 1 piece design new putter. So what did he have to say?

Loosely quoted, "Humans can 'feel' FREQUENCIES that are between 150-300 hertz. So what we did was use a metal and design the putter in a way that the sound emitted from a putter was within that range and for as long as possible."

There ya have it, FROM A FREAKN' DESIGNER not just an internet warrior like me :D

I can pretty much guarrantee you that i'll put my noise canceling earbuds in your ears that i use for skiing for my MP3 and have you putt/hit balls and guess what? You couldn't tell if you were hitting a forged or cast iron and a hard 2 piece or a soft 4 piece nike platinum.
 
birdie_man

birdie_man

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Ya...I've seen stuff from golf ball companies...

They say that for "feel"....

They tweak the sound that the ball makes....it has a lot to do with it for some reason....

....and they also said the COLOUR of the ball is a big deal with relation to how ppl feel about it.

I think you are right.....and I sure as hell would not bet that all these companies who do this research are dead wrong....(at least not on this).......IMO it contributes to "feel" (as a whole package of whatever "feel" is) for sure.

...

BTW I have read...

That if you take a forged head and cast head of the same shape.....you get the same feel too. Tom Wishon was the most notable guy who I have read it from.

And good if he's right too cause I don't like forged stuff.....too damn fragile.

Gonna look into S58s (cast) for my next set I think.
 
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Toolish

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I too have heard this logic, but it leads me to the question does it matter if feel is real, or if it is sound based?

Feel is perception through the senses, if it "feels" softer because of the sound and the player wan't a soft feel then they will be more confident with that club.
 
bbftx

bbftx

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Finally?

Designers have been saying this for years. Ping chose it's name based on this effect:

From Golf Digest 2002:
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,sans-serif]"Feel is a combination of what you feel in your hands and what you hear in your ears," said John Solheim, chairman and CEO of Ping, a company that owes its breakthrough into the market (circa 1968) and very name from the sound emitted by some of its early putters. "It doesn't matter if it's a driver, iron or putter," said Solheim. "The sound a club makes goes a long way toward determining how much a player likes it."[/FONT]
 
J

Jim Kobylinski

Super Moderator
Toolish said:
I too have heard this logic, but it leads me to the question does it matter if feel is real, or if it is sound based?

Feel is perception through the senses, if it "feels" softer because of the sound and the player wan't a soft feel then they will be more confident with that club.
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There is some feel in relations to the metalurgy, there has to be because your hands are connected to the club and the vibrations from the impact collission will travel up the shaft and into your hands.

So depending on the type of metal that is used and the type of forging/casting process that is used the vibrations felt in your hands can be manipulated. The less the vibrations, through your hands, the more the golfer equates this to "soft feel."

For instance, Dynamic Golds are tip stiff but soft type shafts. Most amatuers find them "harsh" because the tip is so stiff and the vibrations felt through the hands on mis-hits.

Put them into a rifle type shaft where the tip is much softer and the butt is stiffer and they immediately think the shaft feels "smoother" because there are less vibrations through the shaft during impact.
 
vjcapron

vjcapron

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Dave Pelz figured this out and wrote about it in a Golf Magazine article in the 1980s. Tour pros thought top-flites were balata balls while hitting wedges when their sense of hearing was muffled.
 
J

Jim Kobylinski

Super Moderator
vjcapron said:
Dave Pelz figured this out and wrote about it in a Golf Magazine article in the 1980s. Tour pros thought top-flites were balata balls while hitting wedges when their sense of hearing was muffled.
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Thank you, i didn't know that. But most 'knowledgable internet golfers' would probably call you crazy.

At least now we have someting RECENT to show them.

Thanks for the info
 
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hue

New
I know that my senses reject the dull thud of the Callaway FT3 on well struck shots . Despite hitting the club well I can't bring myself to put the driver in the bag because the sound = dead feal to me despite the results saying otherwise. I am sure Jim is right.
 
J

Jim Kobylinski

Super Moderator
LOL, it isn't that i'm right. It's just that this is how your brain works and not only did i know this from a very interesting class in college (brain and behavior) but designers are DESIGNING CLUBS TO INFLUENCE THE SOUND.

So i guess, i have my "back up" now haha.
 
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tourdeep

tourdeep

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cologne and George Foreman drivers...

My first big purchase was a ping ISI driver, not only because I hit it well, but I wanted to hear that sweet "ping" sound! It made me hit the ball better!:)

those composite driver heads do have a dull hit to it, don't they? Compared to my R7, it sounds, feels, and looks completely different. But, the results are wonderful! When I've tested the driver by alternating between the R7 and FT3, it's amzing how soft the Callaway feels. R7 feels "hard". Yet, when I play, I just love that "hard" feel (careful), it's sexy looking, and the sound is music to my ears.

I do spray my driver heads with sweet fragrance of Obsession, but have yet to entertain taking a bite out of my driver.
 
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Sonic_Doom

New
I agree that acoustics play a big role in how much we like certain clubs vs others. I still don't think that's the biggest part of feel though.

There is some feel in relations to the metalurgy, there has to be because your hands are connected to the club and the vibrations from the impact collission will travel up the shaft and into your hands.

So depending on the type of metal that is used and the type of forging/casting process that is used the vibrations felt in your hands can be manipulated. The less the vibrations, through your hands, the more the golfer equates this to "soft feel."
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This is it to me,,, its vibrations, frequencies, sensed by the hands that are the biggest part of it IMO.

The same as when there are no variables. If I hit my 6 iron 100 times with the same ball, some will be better and some will be worse but I can feel a good hit from a bad one without depending on the sound (at least I think, I haven't done this).
 
J

Jim Kobylinski

Super Moderator
Sonic_Doom said:
I agree that acoustics play a big role in how much we like certain clubs vs others. I still don't think that's the biggest part of feel though.



This is it to me,,, its vibrations, frequencies, sensed by the hands that are the biggest part of it IMO.

The same as when there are no variables. If I hit my 6 iron 100 times with the same ball, some will be better and some will be worse but I can feel a good hit from a bad one without depending on the sound (at least I think, I haven't done this).
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With all due respect, i don't care what you "think the biggest part of feel is" when numerous researchers and now even club designers have proven it is.

You can believe what you want and have your opinion, but i'm afraid it's simply wrong.
 
vjcapron

vjcapron

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vjcapron said:
Dave Pelz figured this out and wrote about it in a Golf Magazine article in the 1980s. Tour pros thought top-flites were balata balls while hitting wedges when their sense of hearing was muffled.
Click to expand...

The article I am referring to was actually was published in 1990 (so I was 6 months off):

"The Fallacy of Feel", Golf Magazine, June 1990, by Dave Pelz

I tried to find an online copy of this article but could not.
 
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Sonic_Doom

New
Brian Manzella said:
Well "Sonic Doom" talks about feeling it in the hands, and to be honest, I want to know what "they" will say to my question...(they are woking on it right now, I guess);)
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I can feel vibrations in my hands. I'm actually going to try some stuff out in the basement with earplugs in, cuz I don't profess to be an expert on this, just skeptical.

I'm skeptical of golf companies' claims, that's all. Where's the clubfitters contingent when I need em?

I know that there's some scientific research that supports the other argument, but I haven't seen or read any of it.

I do enjoy using the wok from time to time...
 
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